A high-profile scandal has erupted within the law enforcement community of Antigua and Barbuda, as a former top police official turned defense attorney has levied serious misconduct allegations against the Royal Police Force of the island nation.
Wendel Alexander, who once served as Commissioner of Police before entering private legal practice, has publicly called out the force over its handling of a recent missing person case involving 20-year-old Jerad Jonas, a resident of Paynters. According to Alexander’s account, the entire incident exposed deep flaws in police transparency and respect for citizen rights.
The chain of events began when Jonas’ father submitted an official missing person report to authorities, after his son failed to contact the family from Sunday afternoon onward. In line with protocol, the family immediately checked if Jonas had been taken into police custody, a routine inquiry that would clear up any immediate concerns about his safety. Yet, Alexander says that every station the family contacted repeatedly denied that Jonas was being held anywhere in their facilities.
Despite these denials, the Royal Police Force took an unusual step on Monday, October 19: they issued a public missing person bulletin urging the general public to share information that would help locate the young man. What makes this decision controversial, Alexander alleges, is that Jonas was already sitting in police custody at the exact moment the bulletin was distributed to local media and community groups.
Roughly 20 minutes after the initial alert went out, police updated the public with a brief statement saying Jonas had been located safe. No additional context, explanation of where he had been, or clarification of the situation was offered at that time, nor has one been provided in the days since.
Alexander’s allegations go far beyond a simple bureaucratic mix-up. He claims that not only did police hide Jonas’ detention from his worried family, but they also denied the 20-year-old his fundamental right to make a phone contact from the moment he was taken into custody Sunday afternoon. The former police commissioner, who knows firsthand the standards the force is supposed to uphold, says this violation of basic procedural rights paired with the misleading missing person alert represents a major failure of governance.
He has particularly singled out the force’s post-alert behavior for criticism. After issuing a public call for help finding a man already in their custody, police simply stated he had been found and moved on, with no apology to the Jonas family for the unnecessary stress and confusion caused by their actions. In Alexander’s assessment, this approach is unacceptable for a public service body that relies on community trust to operate effectively. “And now just saying he was found without more, without an apology is very poor police/public relations,” he told local media.
To date, many key details surrounding the incident remain unconfirmed publicly. It is still unclear why Jonas was taken into custody in the first place, whether any formal criminal charges have been filed against him, or if Alexander has been retained to serve as legal counsel for the young man or his family moving forward. The Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda has also not issued any formal public response to Alexander’s allegations, leaving the public and the Jonas family waiting for answers about the controversial incident.